Mastodon Shifts to Nonprofit Model: A New Era for Decentralized Social Networking
In a significant move towards decentralization, Mastodon, the popular decentralized social network, announced plans to establish a new nonprofit organization in Europe. This initiative aims to transfer ownership of crucial components of the Mastodon ecosystem, ensuring that no single individual has control over the entire project. This strategy sets Mastodon apart from traditional social media platforms dominated by figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Mastodon’s Shift to Nonprofit Structure
The exact details of this transition are still being finalized, but it marks a pivotal moment for Mastodon. Currently, the platform’s CEO and founder, Eugen Rochko, will delegate management responsibilities to the new entity while concentrating on product strategy.
Continued Commitment to the Community
Mastodon will maintain its popular servers, mastodon.social and mastodon.online, where users can join the ActivityPub-based network. As of now, the platform boasts approximately 835,000 monthly active users across thousands of independent servers.
- The focus remains on user empowerment and decentralized governance.
- Mastodon has consistently emphasized its commitment to remaining free from the influence of a single wealthy owner.
- The platform’s foundational goal is to create a social media environment that fosters community control.
Historical Context and Future Directions
In a recent blog post, Mastodon elaborated on its history, stating, “When founder Eugen Rochko started working on Mastodon, his focus was on creating the code and conditions for the kind of social media he envisioned.” The blog further reiterated that Mastodon would never be for sale and would maintain its independence from individual control.
Last year, Mastodon set up a U.S.-based nonprofit to secure funding and grants, with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joining its board. However, it also lost its nonprofit status in Germany during this transition.
Funding Strategies and Competition
Mastodon relies primarily on donations and sponsorships to sustain its operations. In contrast, its primary competitor, Bluesky, is reportedly in the process of raising a new funding round, achieving a valuation of $700 million.
Establishing a European Nonprofit Entity
The upcoming Europe-based nonprofit will fully own the Mastodon GmbH, the for-profit arm of the organization. The leadership is currently assessing the best jurisdiction and structure for this new entity.
“We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe. Then we will determine which other legal structures are needed to support operations and sustainability,” stated the blog post.
Focus on Governance and Community Engagement
Mastodon aims to create governance frameworks that genuinely reflect its core values and serve its community effectively. The organization is committed to avoiding situations where decision-making power rests solely with one individual, a concern that has arisen in discussions surrounding other open-source projects, such as certain WordPress community initiatives.
With this strategic shift, Mastodon is poised to reinforce its status as a leader in the decentralized social media landscape, dedicated to fostering a community-driven platform.
